Somehow, this is my eleventh game of the year, I am impressed I’ve reached credits in eleven games at all, cool.
Jet Lancer follows the journey of Ash, a mercenary pilot of an experimental jet, tasked with dealing with the Sky Pirates, some evil doers who bring terror to the skies.
From there, you’ll end up uncovering some ancient giant weapons that will head to the city and put everyone in danger, only you are capable of defeating them before they destroy everything, while also uncovering the mystery behind them and what is actually going on.
The story is actually much more interesting than that, a shooter with an actual plot is not common, and a shooter with an actually actually quite good story even less so! Still no masterpiece of storytelling, but I actually looked forward to the all the cutscenes between the missions and the dialogues during the gameplay itself.
Speaking of which, the gameplay here is amazing. It is an “aerial combat shooter” with tight controls and frenetic gameplay. You can fly through the air in every direction—unlike classic on-rails space shooters—dodge enemies, boost and use special weapons to survive. It has a very simple set of controls, but a really high skill cap, and it gets highly addictive whe trying to go for a damageless level clear.
The game is mission-based and you can move through every level in an overworld, although a selection menu is available later on to quickly get to previous levels.
The art during gameplay is mostly pixel art sprites, and it looks rad, it is pretty simple, but full of colorful and contrast, so it’s easy to distinguish everything around you, including the different kinds of enemies and the like. I really loved the whole aesthetic of the game. The overworld where you pick the levels is in a low-poly 3D style but it doesn’t feel out of place at all.
As the game progresses, you’ll be able to unlock upgrades to your Jet that will make life harder or easier, depending on your choices. From auto-dodging, shields, more fuel and other power-ups. You only have a limited set of skill slots, so your build will vary, and some levels will be easier depending on the upgrades you equip.
The game features 38 levels, 11 of which are boss fights, that are definitely a highlight of the game, I felt great when I finally managed to pull off a victory. You have to be in the zone at every moment with the frenzy going on, but everything somehow just flows and you end up feeling like a complete Ace in the sky.
Another aspect I’d like to point out is the absolutely glorious sound design and soundtrack. It is so incredibly cool and it gets your heart pumping the whole time especially with all the action going on in the screen. The sound of the engines and the shooting and explosions, especially after you beat a boss, chef’s kiss.
A very good thing this game has too, is accesibiliy features, from expanding the dodge window, taking less damage or disabling it altogether, turning off screen-shakes and the like, you can tweak your experience to your liking and feel just as awesome.
It was the game of the month for July in the Low Key Game Club on the TWG Online server, so I’m glad I got to finish it! If you are up for an awesome challenge and a fast-paced gameplay experience that will make you feel like the best of the best once you get the controls, this is it! It even features a New Game Plus mode with harder AI and new upgrades to get, but I think I feel satisfied with my experience. Check it out!
